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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2015)
A11 WEDNESDAY March 18, 2015 Eagles baseball winds up for new season By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain The grass still has the hue of winter’s yellow, and spring doesn’t start until March 20, but don’t tell that to the Jo- seph/Enterprise Eagles who are already two weeks-plus into baseball practice. The whiz of baseballs hurled through the air and the crack of aluminum on leather her- ald the arrival of spring, even if the calendar and grass do not. With new OSAA rule changes, pitchers and catch- ers started practice on Feb. 16 while the rest of the team started practicing March 2. Coach Calvin Word likes the way his team looks. “The team is shaping up well. We Youthful Cubs have new coach have six or seven pitchers, I think we’re probably stron- gest in the pitching area,” Word said. The large number of re- turning players should help as well. “A lot of these guys played Babe Ruth for me last year and know my style. We also have some guys who can hit, and I think we’ll hit the ball real well this year. We’re working hard on our defense and we’ll pitch well.” Word also said some areas VWLOO QHHG UH¿QHPHQW ³:H need work on our defense. Our defense didn’t play real well last year. Playing bad defense mean another 20- 30 pitches for the pitcher, so we’ll work on that and getting everyone understanding their defensive roles.” The team is a pleasure to coach, Word said, and gets better each day. “When you’re playing teams like Grant Union and Burns and those guys, and you play well, you’re going to be in a lot of games.” Word named several stand- outs who he says will help the See EAGLES, Page A12 Calvin Word Young hoopsters SQUARE OFF By Rich Rautenstrauch Wallowa County Chieftain Looking back on last year’s record of 14-0 in league play, the 2015 Wallowa County Cubs softball team has some pret- W\ ELJ VKRHV WR ¿OO7KH WHDP ZKLFK LQ ZDV LQ LWV ¿UVW year of combining players from all three high schools (Wal- lowa, Enterprise and Joseph), will start this season with an even bigger change — a new head coach, Cliff Conrad. Conrad is a seasoned coach who couldn’t immediately tal- ly the total number of years he’s been involved in guiding young players, but he said he started out coaching Babe Ruth baseball when he got out of high school. Conrad’s expectations are high for the Cubs team this year, but he also knows he lost two starting pitchers from last year and the team is young. “We’re going to rely on our seniors for our leadership,” he said. “We have a lot of poten- tial and speed on the team. We might not be as good as last year, but we will be scrappy. After we get a few pre-season games under our belts and the JLUOVGHYHORSWKHLUFRQ¿GHQFH we’ll know more.” Assisting Conrad this year are coaches Jeff Edison and Gary Gassett. Three seniors (and possibly four) will be on the team this year. Macy Frye and Kristyn See CUBS, Page A12 Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain Joseph junior Natalie Williams will be the starting pitcher for the Cubs softball team. This is the second year that the Cubs are combining players from Joseph, Enterprise and Wallowa. Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain Enterprise fifth grader Spencer Decker goes to the basket while playing against the Joseph Eagles team at Sather Court. I Sixth grader Briana Micka goes for the basket March 10 in the Joseph Gym. Four teams of boys and girls involving kids from second grade to sixth grade played in front of a large crowd. By Rich Rautenstrauch Wallowa County Chieftain t was a fun night of basketball in the Joseph gym Tuesday evening, March 10, when the middle and elementary school kids from Joseph and Enterprise squared off. While these games seem mostly fun, there’s also some serious basketball unfolding. Four teams from second grade on to sixth played four games, with Joseph coming out on top in three of them. ,QWKH¿UVWJDPH(QWHUSULVH¶V\RXQJHVWJLUOV beat Joseph 26-10. Chelsie Gray and Donna Yost coached the kids to this victory. The sec- ond game featured sixth grade girls with kids from lower grades mixed in. Alicia Borgerding coached the Joseph girls over Tamarah Dun- can’s Enterprise girls for a 21-12 win. ,Q WKH ¿IWK JUDGH ER\V¶ PDWFKXS FRDFKHV Marcus Lynn and Jake Thompson rallied their Joseph Eagles to victory, beating Jacob Micka’s Outlaws 31-11. In the final game of the night, sixth grade boys’ teams played it close until the end, perhaps marking the start of a new rivalry between these classes that will continue through their high school years. The game was up for grabs until the final minute, with the Eagles ultimately prevailing over the Outlaws, 15-12. +LJKOLJKWVRIWKHHYHQLQJLQFOXGHG¿IWKJUDGHU Jada Gray of Enterprise scoring 12 points and the UHVWRIWKH¿IWKJUDGHWHDPDOOFRQWULEXWLQJSRLQWV Sabrina Albee and Ellie Tingelstad of the sixth grade Joseph girls team worked together nicely. Joseph Eagle Chase Homan led the charge with Harley and Hanley Miller showing off their stuff in the boys bracket. For the Enterprise boys the Decker brothers, Spencer and Jackson, played well with teammates Gidion Gray and Hunter Harvey contributing. More than 40 kids competed in the evening of fun, and the short season, which started in mid February, will continue. Games were played in Wal- Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain lowa on Thursday (results not available), and the Cougars were to be traveling to Joseph the evening Joseph sixth grader Sabrina Albee is surrounded by Enterprise defenders. of March 17. Wallowa County sunrise and sunset MARCH 19 – MARCH 25 (from the U.S. Naval Observatory) Thursday, March 19 Rise .................................... 6:54 Set ....................................... 7:00 Friday, March 20 Rise ..................................... 6:52 Set ....................................... 7:01 Saturday, March 21 Rise ..................................... 6:51 Set ....................................... 7:03 Sunday, March 22 Rise ..................................... 6:49 Set ....................................... 7:04 Monday, March 23 Rise ..................................... 6:47 Set ....................................... 7:05 Tuesday, March 24 Rise ..................................... 6:45 Set ....................................... 7:07 Wednesday, March 25 Rise ..................................... 6:43 Set ....................................... 7:08 Neighbor to Neighbor Banking Since 1955 60 years of serving the Wallowa County community Help us celebrate our 60 years of service by winning a 10 oz Silver Bullion Bar in our 60 YEARS 195 SWEEPSTAKES 5 - 2015 www.communitybanknet.com Member FDIC 60 Oz of silver given away each month in 2015 (10 oz bar to six people)! No purchase necessary visit our website for official rules or stop by your local branch.